Frank Thomas is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he doesn't quite know what to say.

The 19-year first baseman and designated hitter in the MLB was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility on Wednesday.

"I'm just so excited to be in the Hall of Fame," Thomas told the MLB Network. "It's something I've got to sit back the next three, four days and figure it out because you only dream so big. This is just so amazing."

Thomas is a Columbus, Ga., native and will be one of four inductees with Georgia ties.

"I'm a Georgia kid, so going in with Glavine and Maddux and (former Atlanta manager) Bobby Cox, it means a lot to me," Thomas said. "The whole state of Georgia is going to be there and I'm blessed I'll be able to be there with those guys."

Thomas, a .301 career hitter, still owns many individual records with the White Sox, where he played 16 years. He hit 448 home runs in Chicago, recorded 1,465 RBI, a .427 on-base percentage and .568 slugging percentage. He played 16 of his 19 years in the pros with the White Sox and was the American League MVP in 1993 and 1994, and was on five All-Star teams.

Thomas' career in the majors included 521 home runs, 1,704 RBIs, 1,494 runs and 494 doubles. He also drew 1,667 walks. Only five players in MLB history have more home runs while maintaining a higher batting average than Thomas.

His career on-base percentage (.419) is the third-highest by a right-handed batter in MLB history.

Thomas is the first former SEC player to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He played first base for Auburn from 1987 through 1989 and led the SEC with a .403 batting average in 1989.

"The big shock to me was he wasn't drafted out of high school," former Auburn baseball coach Hal Baird said. "The scouts, I don't know what was wrong with them, but he wasn't drafted."

Auburn's baseball staff first watched Thomas in person in January 1987. Baird was shocked when he watched him swing the bat for the first time.

"He hit an absolute rocket on one of the hardest-hit balls I've seen," Baird said. "And I said, well, that's our No. 4 hitter the next three years."

"I'm so glad I grew up in an area that there were no shortcuts to success," said Thomas, who also briefly played tight end on the Tigers' football team. "That Auburn University program, it turned me from a boy to a man so fast. I just did it the hard way: work."

Thomas was admittedly nervous entering Wednesday, but he received more than enough votes to earn a spot in Cooperstown. Thomas, a former tight end, watched Auburn's 34-31 loss to Florida State in the BCS National Championship on Monday and his mind began to wander.

"Trust me, it was a tough Monday night and the first thing I thought: Man, I might not get in," Thomas said on the MLB Network.

Thomas was on 83.7 percent of the ballots with 478 votes. A nominee needs to be included on 75 percent of the baseball writers' ballots to be added to the Hall of Fame.